Come Find Me
by SkatingonSunshine
Summary: It was easy to let go when she believed she would never have to face the world again. It wasn't so easy when she felt the pressures of the kingdom to protect, the sister to care for, and the feelings she felt surfacing despite her attempts to squash them down like fresh snow under heavy boots. Mostly [ElsaxOFC] with some [KristoffxAnna].
1. A New Summer

_Summary:_

It was easy to let go when she believed she would never have to face the world again. It wasn't so easy when she felt the pressures of the kingdom to protect, the sister to care for, and the feelings she felt surfacing despite her attempts to squash them down like fresh snow under heavy boots. This story explores the other side of Elsa. [ElsaxOFC] [KristoffxAnna]

* * *

Chapter One: A New Summer

* * *

**_"I seek you. Be not afraid."_**

That was all. No name, no address, just a simple and mysterious message on a plain sheet of paper. Elsa handed the note to the captain of the guards that stood before her. The message, brief and written in charred black letters, seemed out of place among the detailed papers she's been sifting through when she discovered it that morning. Despite its claim that she should not be afraid, it made her nervous. She gave the captain a serious look.

"Find out all that you can about this. I'd like to know who sent it and why. In the meantime, we will simply stay vigilante. There isn't much else we can do."

"Yes, your majesty. I will see to the matter personally and return the moment we have any leads."

"Thank you." At least she could find some solace in knowing that the matter was being looked into. She had a lot to oversee, and one strange note did not need to take up more space in her mind than it warranted. With this taken care of, she allowed herself to give the guard a slight smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I hear my sister calling my name."

o o o

"It's too perfect," Anna said with a small shake of her head in mock disdain. "Look at this. There isn't a single scratch on this wood!"

She and her older sister stood in the middle of an otherwise empty ballroom. Anna had made a grand gesture with her hands to emphasize the spotless, shining floor beneath their feet. Elsa raised a dark eyebrow.

"You brought me in here, away from my important work, to have me inspect the floor?"

"But, Elsa, don't you see? It's hardly been touched. And it's a _ball_room! There is only one way to fix this."

"Let me guess. You want to have another ball?"

"There is simply no other option. I mean, someone has to be paid to fix the floor, right? And how are they going to be paid if the floor doesn't need fixing? They aren't! They'll be out of a job and the whole economy will be thrown into-," she searched for the right word and breathlessly grabbed her sister's arm, "into complete and utter _turmoil_!"

Elsa had to let out a small laugh at her sister's ridiculous plot. She could be so ridiculously dramatic.

"Fine, fine. We'll have another ball."

Anna beamed, and Elsa could feel the warmth just radiating off of her. She knew it would make her sister happy, and that was enough to convince her. Besides, it could not possibly be worse than the last formal dance they held, nearly a year ago. There had been large festivals in the kingdom, open ice rinks in the courtyard, and decent-sized meetings within the palace. But not a grand ball. Anna was willing to let that fact slide, sensitive enough to her sister's worries about repeating what had happened last summer. But she came to the conclusion that a year was plenty of time to get over it. Now, they would plan another party for the high class society of neighboring kingdoms and have an excuse to fill the palace with an overabundance of extremely expensive gourmet chocolate.

It didn't take long for Anna to make up and send the invitations. Elsa found out the next day that her sly little sister had made up a list of names long before asking for approval. Elsa was reviewing the list of potential guests and growing a little unsure. She recognized many of the names, but some seemed unfamiliar.

"Where is the Duchess of Hollingsdale? I don't see her name."

Anna looked up from the envelope she was sealing.

"Her? She's so stuffy and old. Why would you want her there?"

"Because Hollingsdale is an important trade market."

"This isn't a trading ball. We're dancing, not swapping goods."

"Still, it's important that we keep friendly relations. Add her to the list."

"Fine," Anna replied with a sigh. "But I want this to be a fun thing. We can have an official ball later. This is all about meeting new friends!"

"New friends?" Elsa repeated skeptically. She continued to scan the list. It was full of younger people, mostly young men of high titles. Oh no, she thought, groaning inwardly. This seemed like the beginnings of a plan to get her to find a suitor. Anna had been hinting that she ought to think about the idea. She wasn't getting any younger, after all. Elsa had promptly reminded her that she was only three years older, and perfectly content with being single for now. It hadn't helped to deter Anna at all.

Anna pressed their royal seal into the hot wax on an envelope. Elsa wouldn't have glanced up and been broken from her train of thought if her sister hadn't been giggling. She wondered briefly if she could hear what she was thinking.

"What's so funny?" She asked cautiously.

"Nothing."

Anna was a dreadful fibber. The word had seemed to dance out of her mouth, accompanied by a little sing-song manner. She definitely had something to giggle about. But Elsa changed the subject instead.

"You do know we have people to do this for us, right? I brought back some of the veteran staff for a reason. They could be sealing these and sending them."

"I know," Anna answered. "But these are very special invitations." She giggled again. Elsa grabbed for the envelope, but Anna was quick. She kept it away, held it tightly in her hand. Elsa smirked and put a layer of thick frost around the paper, and Anna gasped. Still, she held it tight.

"Some ice isn't going to make me let go. Being around you has gotten me used to the cold."

"That doesn't mean your warm hand will be as stubborn as you are."

"Yes it will," Anna insisted. But she was losing the battle fast, and as soon as her hand let the freezing envelope go, Elsa snatched it.

"You play so dirty," Anna scolded, rubbing her hands together quickly to combat the cold.

Elsa tore the invitation open and read it.

_~The Beautiful and Available Queen Elsa, and her sister the totally-not-single-like-her-gorgeous-sister Princess Anna, formally invite you to a grand, royal gala in the Kingdom of Arendelle.~_

"Anna!" It was Elsa's turn to gasp. "You can't give these out!"

Anna tried to act innocent.

"Why not?"

"Because you're making me seem desperate. This is just supposed to be a fun night for you. That's why I agreed to it."

"But it will be fun," Anna insisted. "You don't have to make a commitment to anyone. Just rub elbows with a couple of dukes and lords or whatever. And maybe you'll end up thanking me later." Anna winked.

Elsa sighed.

"I just don't want to...rush something like this. There's no reason for it."

"Believe me, I don't think you should rush either. I learned my lesson about rushing into relationships and going too fast."

"Oh I'm sure you did," Elsa teased. "That's why I hear you sneaking off to Kristoff's room in the middle of the night, right? You aren't rushing anything or going to fast?"

Anna could almost feel her cheeks turning pink.

"I...um...You heard that?"

Elsa giggled, her hand daintily pressing against her mouth as Anna stammered to find an excuse. Failing, she shut her mouth and let her older sister continue.  
"Look, you can have the ball and invite whoever you'd like. But just address me as 'Queen Elsa'. Nothing else. I'm not trying to sell myself."

Anna gave in with a small sigh.

"Fine. If you want to be an old maid, that's fine by me."

Elsa rolled her eyes playfully, knowing that Anna was just joking.

"Good. If I change my mind about being one, you'll be the first to know."

"Promise?"

"Yes. I promise."

O O O

* * *

_Author's Note:_

Well, here's my first attempt at fanfiction. I plan to introduce a few very interesting OCs and bring up a boatload of things from Elsa's past. Please let me know what I can do to improve it, or, if you have any questions, send those too. Thanks for reading ;)


	2. Memories

_Summary:_

It was easy to let go when she believed she would never have to face the world again. It wasn't so easy when she felt the pressures of the kingdom to protect, the sister to care for, and the feelings she felt surfacing despite her attempts to squash them down like fresh snow under heavy boots. This story explores the other side of Elsa. [ElsaxOFC] [KristoffxAnna]

* * *

Chapter Two: Memories

* * *

_Fifteen Years Ago..._

Elsa's father flipped the page of thick brown book with the golden lettering.

"And then the rightful wedding was held. The beautiful princess married the king, and the fame of their marriage spread far and wide. The end."

He began to close the book, but the six-year-old Elsa quickly stuck her tiny hand onto the page.

"Wait!" She whispered. Anna had already fallen asleep. She was even younger than her sister and had heard the story before, anyway. But Elsa had chosen this one again tonight. She loved the detailed illustrations and the wild adventure the prince had to face.

"That's the last one for tonight, dear. You need to rest."

"I just want to look at the picture."

Her father complied, opening the book once more. Elsa admired the princess's flowing gown, and the way her dark hair fell freely down her fair back. She traced it with her finger.

"I would have chosen this princess too," she said. Her father was slightly surprised by the comment, but hoped it was childish misunderstanding that led her to say it. He closed the book then, and began to place it on the bedside table.

"The King went through a lot to get her. That's the kind of man you want when you marry, Elsa. Someone who will face danger just because he loves you."

"Or I could have a princess myself," the young girl said innocently. "There's only one king in the story, and that can be Anna's. Then I get the princess."

Now her father felt uncomfortable, as he often had with his daughter. He loved her dearly, but it seemed like her oddities never ceased. Her magic had already caused them some worry, and he did not want any more reason for others to believe her to be anything but normal. She shouldn't speak of things like this, no matter how young and uninformed of the way of the world she was.

"No, dear. That's not how it works. You'll marry a man just like your mother married me."

"But you married her. I want to be like you, daddy."

He couldn't help but smile. He sincerely hoped that this was more about her wanting to follow his footsteps and not about...well, he didn't dare think about the other implications involved. If his daughter really did want to marry a princess, it would only cause more confusion and trouble. But a wish to be like one's father was nothing new, be it a son or daughter. He kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Elsa. I love you very much. And I think you will be a lot like me when you're older."

The child grinned and buried into her bed to sleep.

"Good night, daddy. I love you too."

o o o

Elsa stared at the portrait of her father dressed in his coronation attire. She ran a finger absentmindedly over the golden scepter laid at it's base.

"All of those years," she thought, "you made me live in fear. And now look at where I am. I am strong, father. Like you. And I don't have to be afraid of... my powers." She sighed. There were still other things to be afraid of. Ruling the kingdom, the mysterious note, trade partners, something going wrong at the ball, and avoiding Anna's rib-prodding whenever a male suitor was brought up. The thoughts were stressing her now, so she had to take in a deep breath and let it go. The tiny freckles of frost that had started forming on the tips of her fingers vanished.

"The time will come for that," she concluded. "No sense in worrying now."

Elsa turned her back to the painting and headed out of the room with only one glance over her shoulder. He had only meant the best. He'd loved her and tried to protect her. She forgave him.

"Elsa! There you are!" Anna came forward with a big grin on her face, which happened quite often. But Elsa didn't mind. After so many years of keeping her distance, to see Anna's rosy cheeks joined by a smile was a pleasure that she would always welcome.

"You've been looking for me?"

"Yeah! Look what just came in." She lifted a letter for her to see. "It's addressed to us. Well, you mostly. But I already read it so…"

"What does it say?" Elsa was too curious to care that her sister had already read it. She wondered if it had anything to do with the mysterious note that arrived just a week ago.

"One of the kingdoms replied to our invitation. They're asking if they can come early and stay in the palace. They're the prince and princess of Kohbara. They live far away, but it just so happens they will be in a nearby kingdom soon. So they could attend ball much easier if they stayed here!"

Elsa read over the letter quickly. She had never met anyone from Kohbara personally, and she knew little about the kingdom. These people would be strangers in her home, and that made her hesitate.

"What do you think we should do?" Elsa asked. She knew the answer already.

"Are you kidding? Let's have them stay a whole month if they want! This will be so much fun. They're our age, you know. Or close to it. We'll get to make two new friends. Plus, I hear the Prince of Kohbara is a _very_ handsome gentleman. Huh? Huh?" Anna wiggled an eyebrow and Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Well, if it will be convenient to them to stay here then we can have them. We've got plenty of room."

Elsa was tempted to cover her ears when Anna squealed.

"Yes! This is awesome. We're going to have so much fun!"

Elsa sincerely hoped.

o o o

It was now the day that the Prince and Princess of the eastern kingdom were set to arrive. Elsa wrung her hands nervously, looking at herself in the mirror.

"You look fine," Anna insisted, trying to pull her along. She was actually pretty successful; Elsa often forgot how strong the younger girl was physically.

"Are you sure? I tried to make my dress a little more traditional."

"Yeah, it's perfect. It says, 'I have crazy strong ice powers, but I'm also elegant and queenly'."

"That's exactly what I was going for."

"Great!" Anna kept tugging her along, and Elsa finally let her feet follow. They went together to the front entrance. Seeing Anna so excited and beaming made Elsa feel better. So when the doors began to open, she smiled right along with her.

"Introducing," a man's voice called out, "Prince Leo and Princess Natalia of Kohbara."

The pair walked in and bowed to the princesses, who returned the gesture. Elsa spoke first.

"We are both glad to have you staying with us for the week."

"And we thank you for your hospitality," Leo replied. He was taller than her, with broad shoulders and tanned skin. His dark hair was cut very short, near to his head, and his smile took up most of the space above his square jaw. Elsa admitted to herself that he was quite handsome, as Anna had said. But when the Princess spoke, she forgot about the Prince's good looks. His sister's beauty stood out much stronger. She had a similar complexion, perhaps only a shade lighter, with large, dark almond eyes and a round nose. Something about her seemed to glow. Elsa took notice of the Princess's beauty but remained calm. Until, that is, the Princess looked right into her eyes and said her name. She'd finished her sentence with it. Elsa desperately tried to remember what it is the Princess had just said, but it was gone.

"You can just call us Anna and Elsa," Anna said, "Especially since you are our guests." Apparently, Elsa's momentary brain failure went unnoticed.

"Anna and Elsa it is, then," the Prince said. "And the same goes for us. Leo and Natalia are fine."

"Great! I can show you to your rooms before dinner." Anna turned and began to head in the direction of the guest rooms prepared specifically for the siblings. It suddenly occurred to Elsa that she and Natalia were staring at each other, so she spoke up.

"Right. Right this way." Then Elsa moved more gracefully than her mouth had, guiding her along as Anna and Leo walked ahead.

"There are some things you should know," Anna began. "First of all, the castle is pretty big so it can be hard to find your way around. I'm sure you have that problem back at home too. Just ask any of the servants, they'll show you the way. Oh and you may run into a walking, talking snowman who asks for a hug. He's totally harmless, even if it's a little weird. His name is Olaf. Elsa made him."

Both of the vacationing royals looked at the older sister, who smiled sheepishly. Again, Leo spoke first.

"We've heard about your powers, Elsa. It's amazing that you were able to freeze the entire kingdom and the fjord. We were talking about it on our way here."

Natalia nodded in agreement.

"It must come in handy on hot summer days."

Elsa smiled more genuinely now. It was a relief not to hear them talk about how her powers could be used to destroy armies or bring their country economic gain, as she often heard.

"Yeah, it's a great thing to be able to add ice cubes to warm lemonade." The four of them giggled. Even if what she said wasn't particularly funny, it helped to ease the conversation. They talked on until Anna reached the right doors. The rooms were across from one another, and on the opposite end of the hall where Elsa's room was.

"I'm right around the corner," Anna explained.

"Thank you, Anna," Leo said, opening his door. "And, Elsa, it's been great, uh, breaking the ice with you."

Natalia groaned at the word choice. Elsa laughed gently.

"Agreed. And It's alright. I've heard worse puns by now."

"I'm sure you have," Natalia said. "I was going to say, 'it's been _ice_ to finally meet you'. And then I was going to apologize forever."

"Oh that is definitely worse!"

Both of the girls laughed together.

"But honestly, it has been nice meeting you."

"Likewise. I'll see you at dinner."

"Yes. You will." Natalia smiled, both at her and at Anna, before going into her room to rest before the meal. It had been a long journey, so the sisters gave them time to get ready. Together, they walked down the hall.

"Sooo," Anna said.

"Yes?"

"What do you think about Leo?"

"He seems pleasant."

"_And?_"

"And…punctual."

Anna groaned. Now Elsa was just trying to get on her nerves. Big sisters could be really annoying sometimes.

"Admit it. You think he's handsome."

"He is handsome."

"Yes!" Anna began to cheer.

"But I'm not interested in being anything more than friends."

Anna deflated.

"Why not? I'm not saying you should jump right on this minute, but you shouldn't just jump off either!"

"Anna, I barely know him. Give me some time. Now, I have some things to do."

This answer was satisfying enough for Anna. She let Elsa go without complaint, so the Snow Queen went to her own room. She sat on the edge of her bed and thought about how she would get through this week. She knew Anna would continue to pester her about Leo, and it was getting difficult to keep hiding exactly _why_ she knew her and Leo wouldn't work out. But part of her still wanted it to. Part of her wanted to take one look at Leo and fall madly in love with him. She fell back on the bed, for these were hopeless wishes.

o o o

Elsa was thirteen years old, but she was sobbing like a five year old with a scraped knee. She buried her head against her bed and kept her hands wrapped around herself.

"Elsa," he father said. It was an exasperated but still somehow gentle way of saying her name. "Please stop crying. You're feet are getting the comforter all icy, and that won't let you sleep very well." He was trying to make her laugh. It wasn't working. She only curled up tighter.

"Please, I'm not trying to hurt you. I just want to help you."

"Nothing can help me!" she blurted out suddenly. "I'm a freak!"

Her father's eyes reflected the pain those words brought him. He moved closer to her.

"No. Do not say that about yourself. You are just different, and you need to learn to hide that different part of yourself away. Both your ice powers and…this…" he pursed his lips and held back a sigh as he looked at the small notebook in his hand.

"I didn't know," she blubbered helplessly, "I didn't know it was wrong. I'm sorry, daddy. I'll get rid of it. I'll burn it."

Seeing her this way was heartbreaking. He tried to touch her shoulder to comfort her, but she tore away before his fingers could even graze the fabric of her dress.

"It's…beautiful poetry, darling. And it's wonderful to see you taking such an interest in classic works. But this is an inappropriate subject for a young girl."

"I didn't know-,"

"I know you didn't," he interrupted. "But now you do. And I just want to talk about it calmly."

It took some time for Elsa to stop crying. She let out a few shuddery breaths as she washed her face and returned to her father's side on her bed. He spoke gently and evenly.

"Where did you get these ideas?"

"From some old poetry. Lots of poems are about love."

"Yes, they are." He paused only slightly. "But I meant, about the details. You write as if you've seen women like this…but you haven't been leaving, have you?"

"No!" Elsa looked at him, horrified. She hadn't stepped foot out of the palace in five years. She could only imagine how many things would go wrong if she were ever to leave.

"Then where have you seen women with 'long, curled tresses and rosy cheeks'? 'Beautiful pearl skin' and 'lips like newly bloomed tulips'?"

The young teenager cringed as her father read the words from her own poems aloud. She'd never meant for him to read them. Her tutor had said that no one would read them. But then he'd gone and shown the poems to her father, stating his concern that the princess's topics were too odd to ignore. Her father had to admit that the poems were eloquent for a young girl. But he would have preferred mediocre poetry about the moon and sky. These were filled with confessions of love toward an unknown woman. The thought of his teenage daughter confessing love for anyone sent his stomach churning, and this only made it worse.

"I don't know," Elsa said quietly.

"You don't know? So, you've been making things up?"

She nodded silently. She couldn't tell him that she'd written them about the women in her story books. Even if she knew those pictures weren't real, she liked to look at them and imagine they were. She could pretend that one day a girl just like the ones in the book would come to see her and free her from her curse. They would bring their life-saving magic with them, and she could hug them without worrying that they'd turn to ice. Seeing those pictures gave her some hope. She couldn't let him take her books away from her.

Her father sighed and set the notebook of poems down.

"I think I know of something we can do."

Elsa watched him curiously as he got up and went into her wardrobe. He took out a hood for her to wear and helped her into it.

"Where are we going?"

"To see someone who may help us."

It was the first time in five long years that she'd been outside the closed doors of the palace. They stayed in seclusion, sticking to the shadows of the night and making sure no one saw them. It was thrilling to be outside again, and to feel the wind blowing against her face as she and her father rode through the forest. It had taken some convincing to get her on the horse and in her father's arms. It was the first time that had happened in three years. She felt some comfort, but also a lot of worry. She had an idea of where they were headed. She had made this journey once before.

When they reached the Valley of the Living Rock, the King helped Elsa down and led her to the circle of unmoving gray spheres.

"Please, we seek your help. My daughter may be cursed in more ways than one."

It took a moment for the trolls to stir and awake around them. The humans heard whispers of 'the king!' and 'he's returned'. The oldest and wisest of the trolls stepped forward, his yellow crystals dangling from his neck and illuminating his path through the crowd. He stopped in front of the King and his fearful daughter, who held onto the man's coat. The ground beneath her was covered in a thin sheet of ice.

"Do not be afraid now, Princess Elsa. You are safe." The troll noticed her relax significantly, and he turned his attention toward the King. "Is this about her powers?"

"No," the King admitted. "It's about her heart."

The shaman troll closed his eyes and reached out toward Elsa. Even with his eyes closed, he knew that she was flinching away. "Stay still for just a moment. I won't hurt you, and you could not possibly hurt me." She let him touch her shoulder. It was only a brief moment before he pulled away and opened his eyes. "Ah."

"Can you…did you see anything?" the King asked eagerly.

"Yes," the troll looked at the man seriously. "Just as she was born with elemental magic, she has been born with a loving heart. She has within her a strong desire to protect those she cares about."

"Well I'm afraid it may be too loving."

"I can only assume you are referring to her romantic love. Yes, it is true that she is different than most, but it is not unnatural. It is not as uncommon as you may believe. She was born with this too. And like her magic, some others will not understand. The two are closely linked; her heart and her power. To treat them as one would not be a bad thing."

The King was hesitant to ask his next question.

"Then there's nothing you can do?"

"A heart like hers cannot be persuaded."

The King nodded.

"Then I will protect her just like I always have."

Elsa looked to the elder troll with wide eyes.

"What does this mean?"

The troll took her gloved hand.

"You will not have an easy life, Elsa. You will feel out of place for a long time. But one day, you will see that you are not alone."

Those words remained in Elsa's memory to the very day. From that point on, 'conceal, don't feel' began to take on a sort of double meaning. She had to conceal her 'inappropriate' feelings towards other girls. This turned out to be quite easy, as she focused more on her powers and less on the idea of finding love. Finding love seemed like such a distant and unimaginable thing, especially as she grew older. She always found herself too preoccupied with fear for her ice and snow to worry about getting married. Now, however, she was free from one of those fears. And the other was impossible to push away.

Elsa had been meeting a great number of people in the past year. Anna loved to have the people of the kingdom join them in the courtyard for evening skating parties. They'd often have musicians accompany late night gatherings, where she kept busy gliding across the floor and illuminating the entire venue with the beautiful colors the ice could reflect. Sometimes she might catch sight of a pretty girl slipping on the ice. She would wonder what would happen if she were to take hold of the girl's arm and help her. Other times, she would be out with Anna in the village and make eye contact with a cute young lady. The girl might wave shyly or even blush. Elsa's heart would skip a beat and she would continue on, wanting to talk to the girl but having nothing to say. It was clear to her that she had feelings for other girls, and the more she thought about soft hair and curved bodies, the more hope she lost that she'd ever be attracted to square jaws and hard chests.

Still, it was possible to get by. She hadn't found anyone that made her feel the way she knew Anna felt about Kristoff. When she had moments alone to daydream about possible lovers, they always had different faces. She could feel her heart flutter for a moment when she saw a pretty girl, but there was never a connection that felt so undeniable and unbreakable that she felt she had to drop her act. For now, she really was okay with being alone.

She sat up and shook the thoughts from her head. She did have work to do, and dwelling on this unimportant matter wasn't what she needed to fill her time with. Elsa rose and set off to finish some paper work before dinner, and forgot about her personal dilemma for the rest of the night.

O O O

* * *

_Author's Note: _I find Elsa's character so complex and interesting. She battles with very heavy anxiety, and depression, and I strongly believe her powers can act as a metaphor for being homosexual. I know there are a lot of people who would prefer Elsa to be straight, and that's okay. But I see a very powerful character fighting to understand herself in more ways than one. Please leave any comments/critiques you have.


	3. Not So Different

_Summary: _It was easy to let go when she believed she would never have to face the world again. It wasn't so easy when she felt the pressures of the kingdom to protect, the sister to care for, and the feelings she felt surfacing despite her attempts to squash them down like fresh snow under heavy boots. This is a story about the other side that Elsa was forced to hide. [ElsaxOFC] [KristoffxAnna]

_Author's Note: _Thank you to everyone who reads/favorites/watches/reviews. It's very much appreciated. Here's a little more development.

* * *

Chapter Three: Not So Different

* * *

Elsa tried to fight off her yawning, but it was no use. The book spread out in front of her was filled with more legal talk than she could be bothered with at the moment. When Gerda knocked three times on her door and announced that dinner was prepared, the bored queen was very thankful.

o o o

The dining hall was filled with warmth and light already. When she arrived, Anna was introducing her blonde boyfriend to the guests. He was still wearing his warm coat, which told her he'd just returned from work. As he sat next to Anna, Elsa smiled politely and took her seat at the head table.

"Leo, Natalia, this is Kristoff. He's my boyfriend and the official Ice Harvester and Deliverer for Arendelle."

Leo looked confused.

"Why do you need an ice harvester if you have a queen that can make ice herself?"

"I'm usually busy with my own work," Elsa explained. "And besides, Kristoff will tell you-,"

"Ice is my life," the man finished with a humble shrug.

Leo seemed alright with this answer, and started to eat his soup.

"So, tonight I was thinking we could go out and skate. Then tomorrow you need to have a tour of the place, obviously, and that can lead into some swimming time because we'll probably be all hot and gross. Next, we'll go horseback riding through the country and we can have a picnic and oh! maybe even go sledding. That would be a lot of fun." Anna was rambling now, her fingers keeping track of the things she was listing. Leo and Natalia listened, interested, as she rattled off activities for the five of them to do over the course of the week. Elsa was about to interrupt and tell Anna to slow down when Natalia glanced over and their eyes met. Natalia was smiling and seemed to say that it was alright, so Elsa kept quiet. She eventually looked away, afraid of being too awkward. Interacting with people still wasn't her strong suit.

"And finally it will be the day of the ball! So what we'll do on that day is pretty obvious."

Kristoff glanced at the pair of guests. He would have liked to quip that Anna had a fondness of not breathing in between sentences unless she absolutely had to, but he did not know what to think about the new royals yet. When he and Anna were around villagers, he could be himself. But being with royalty made him wonder if he was able to joke in the same way. He tried to hide his discomfort.

"I'm very excited for the ball," Natalia said. "It will be the first one we've been to in awhile. I think the last one we held was just a small gala for my birthday."

"How small is 'small'?" Anna asked. "Because I have met a princess who thought 'small' was twenty acrobats, a full-sized orchestra, and two ice sculptures."

Natalia giggled.

"Oh, nothing like that. It was my friends, some dancers, a little music. It was beautifully decorated, though. And my favorite birthday yet."

"How old are you, exactly?"

"Anna," Elsa scolded. "That isn't polite to ask."

"It isn't? But I just want to know."

"It's fine," Natalia chimed in. "I am turning twenty three at the end of the season."

"Oh, so you're older than Elsa!"

Elsa groaned slightly. She felt the need to press her hand to her forehead out of embarrassment, but Natalia didn't seem to find any of it intrusive or untactful.

"Well, how old are you, Anna?"

"I just turned nineteen."

"That's exciting. Enjoy it while you can. Soon you'll be old like me."

"You aren't old! I was just curious. Honestly. In fact, I would have guessed that you were younger."

"Thank you." Natalia gave her a smile from across the table. "You're very kind, Anna."

The meal continued, with casual conversation passing among them. It was mostly Anna and Natalia that chatted away about plans and whatnot. Elsa knew she should be a little less stiff, but she was concerned with making a good impression on the guests. She noticed after some time, however, that there was one person in the room stiffer than she was. Kristoff did not look like he was having fun. It must have been a long few days out, and she suspected that Anna might not even have told him about the guests. Poor guy, Elsa thought. He probably expected to come home and relax. Now he was stuck thinking he needed to impress royal foreigners.

"You're awful quiet tonight, Kristoff," she said aloud. Anna looked at him.

"Yeah, you haven't said much. Is something wrong?"

Elsa knew she was placing her hand on his thigh to comfort him. He looked at his girlfriend and tried not to mumble as he spoke.

"No. I'm alright."

Natalia graciously turned the topic away from him, targeting her brother instead.

"You've been pretty quiet yourself. That's unusual."

"I just haven't had much to say, that's all."

"Imagine that," Natalia grinned. "Trust me. He's being nice and official right now, but there are times you cannot get him to shut up."

Anna grinned.

"Kristoff talks too. He just isn't a people person. He's a true mountain man. Elsa set up classes for him to take so he doesn't embarrass himself at parties. I do enough embarrassing and awkward things for the both of us."

"Etiquette lessons are a great thing," Leo said. "That's admirable."

"Yeah. He's great. But that's probably why he's not talking."

"Well, we don't have to be so formal. Why don't we try something to loosen up?"

"How about some friendly competition?" Anna grinned mischievously. Kristoff raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of competition?"

And that's how they ended up in snow forts in the garden after the sun had gone down. The girls hurriedly packed together snowballs on one side, while the boys created their secret weapon on the other. Elsa stood in the middle, declaring herself too powerful to play. Instead, she would gladly act as referee.

"Alright. You may begin in- AH!" she felt snow pelt her right cheek and turned to see her eager sister looking apologetic.

"You're supposed to wait until I count down!" Elsa shouted.

"Sorry!"

When Anna had ducked back down, Elsa tried again. This time, she got out of the firing zone. "In 3, 2, 1, _go_!"

She watched, amused, as the four of them tossed snow back and forth. Anna had unbelievable strength for someone her size, but Natalia was much more graceful and fluid. Elsa may have occasionally helped some of her long-distance throws over the guy's fort without saying so. Eventually, the girls pulled their coats over their heads and planned to rush the boy's with handfuls of snowballs. But Kristoff and Leo hurled their secret weapon into the air: a snowball bigger than Olaf. It came down on the girls, who squealed and fell to the soft snow on the ground in defeat. Natalia pretended to wave a white flag.

"I give in."

"What!?"

Anna sat up, snow flying everywhere as she scrubbed it away from her face and clothes.

"We can't just give up that easily!"

Natalia shivered, stood, and hurried over to where Elsa sat on the sidelines.

"I like the cold, but I have snow where I do not want snow to be right now!"

Elsa couldn't help but laugh. She offered the girl a cup of hot chocolate.

"I had Gerda bring this out for when you all got too cold."

"Oh that smells wonderful." Natalia embraced the warmth.

"Yeah, yeah." Anna waved her hand dismissively. "Drink your delicious hot chocolate. I will take down them down all by myself!"

Kristoff tackled her suddenly, scooping some snow onto her head with a laugh.

"Ha ha, got you!"

She yelped, trying to shovel snow on top of him with both her hands. She wouldn't give up, and neither would he, until they were both burying each other in the powder.

"Save some hot chocolate for me!" Anna managed to shout as Kristoff was relentless.

Natalia had settled next to Elsa, still cold from the ice that had slipped past the winter jacket she'd put on. Elsa had a thought, and curved her hand into the air. Natalia bolted upright, nearly spilling her drink at the odd sensation that overcame her as the snow melted and the cold feeling suddenly vanished.

"Ah, sorry," Elsa managed to say. "I just saw you were cold so I wanted to get rid of the ice in your, um, coat. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay. I feel a lot warmer now. Thank you." She relaxed again. Leo came over with a grin.

"Would you mind doing the same for me? Your sister has a really great arm."

Elsa nodded and evaporated the snow stuck to Leo.

"Woah. That felt kind of weird."

"So I've been told." Elsa handed him a fresh cup of hot chocolate and called out to the couple in the snow. "If you're finished making out, I have some for the both of you too."

Kristoff broke their kiss and sat up right away, embarrassed. He stammered out an apology to Elsa as he made his way over. Anna, her cheeks red and her entire body covered in snow, just giggled and accepted the chocolate treat.

"That was fun," she concluded. "What's next?"

"We could go inside and talk," Elsa suggested. Anna was about to protest about that 'being boring', but Leo spoke up first.

"I like that idea. We should all really get to know each other."

And despite Anna's initial refusal, she and Leo ended up being the two that talked the most. Kristoff sat lazily beside his girlfriend, and fell asleep not long into the conversation. His work and the snowball fight had tired him out. Anna and Leo were excitedly discussing the details of the winter mishap that had occurred last summer. Although she knew she had grown from the unfortunate situation, reliving it made Elsa very uncomfortable. When Anna had gotten to the part of their meeting in Elsa's ice palace, Elsa had to stand and leave the room. She excused herself, but only Natalia seemed to notice.

She stood in the hall by an open window. The curtains ruffled gently in the cool summer breeze. Her shoulders perked up when she heard a feminine voice behind her.

"I can understand," Natalia said. "Not fully, but somewhat."

"Understand what?" Elsa questioned.

"Feeling out of place, and like I don't belong."

"You?" Elsa was surprised. "You don't look like someone who has ever been isolated."

"What does someone who has been isolated look like? As beautiful as you?"

Elsa didn't know why, but she felt her face getting warm.

"No, that isn't what I meant. You are beautiful too."

Natalia smiled and gazed out at the night sky with the Queen.

"I have been around people all my life. But you know what they say. You can be in the middle of a crowd of a thousand other people and still feel alone."

"They say that?" Elsa felt sort of stupid once she'd let the words leave her mouth. But Natalia didn't say anything to confirm that feeling. She simply nodded.

"Mhm. I knew from a young age that I was different, and so did my parents. Still, I did my best to be normal for everyone's sake. It always left me feeling lonely inside."

Elsa wanted to ask what it was that made Natalia different, but she didn't want to pry. What the girl was saying was definitely familiar.

"That's how I lived for thirteen years. What did you do?"

Natalia lifted a shoulder in a graceful shrug.

"I just came to accept that who I am is not going to change. Some people will acceot you, and some people won't. Accepting yourself is the important thing. Then you find people who love you no matter what and it makes hate feel meaningless."

The words sounded poetic to Elsa. They were things she had longed to hear for her entire life, even if she had not realized it before. She could relate.

"It's admirable that you have the strength to do that."

"Like I said, I don't do it on my own. I have my brother, for example. He sticks with me through everything."

"I don't even want to think about where I would be without Anna."

"That's good," Natalia turned to smile at Elsa this time. "Even if you regret things you did in the past, you have the future to look forward to."

"Okay, now you're sounding like a self-help book I read not too long ago." Elsa cracked a smile.

"I can see that as a compliment. They really are helpful sometimes! Reading in general helps."

"It's true." They were quiet for a moment. "Thank you, Natalia. It's comforting to know that someone understands."

"Sometimes, we all just need a friend."

Another silence began to grow between them. Elsa did not know how to take that comment. Were they friends? Did she have to ask to be friends the way she assumed one asked to become boyfriend and girlfriend? Or was it just something that happened naturally and without comment? Sensing the uncertainty in the air, it was Natalia who spoke up.

"I'd like to be friends with you, if I could."

Elsa nearly let out a relieved breath, but instead she smiled.

"I'd like that too."

It was a start. The Queen relaxed, and that was a good feeling. She sometimes forgot that she could learn a thing or two from Anna's easygoing personality.

"Why don't I walk you to your room?" Elsa suggested. "I'm going up to bed myself."

"Sure. You don't want to say goodnight to Anna?"

"I have a feeling her and Leo will be up for quite awhile."

"That's true."

The girls walked quietly upstairs and to the right hallway. Elsa bid her new friend goodnight and noticed that she had a giddy feeling welling up inside. She pinned the cause on having a girl her age that she seemed to actually relate to. This was new and exciting, and that had to be what was giving her a fluttery sensation in her stomach. By the time she reached her own room, she was smiling to herself. Maybe the week wouldn't be so hard to get through after all.

o o o

Natalia changed quietly into her pajamas, an elegant silk nightgown that showed the delicate shape of her body. She let her hair down completely and lay back on the comfortable bed that had been provided for her. She was glad that she had shared that part of her with Elsa. Even before she and her brother had arrived, she knew she wanted to be friends with the girls. She'd heard a lot about their kindness and generosity, even if false rumors about Elsa's terrifying power haunted her name and kingdom. One look at Elsa told her what she had suspected. She was the furthest thing from a monster. She was gentle, careful, and breathtakingly gorgeous. The fact that they made a connection so fast was pleasing.

She took out her journal and spread it out on the bed, jotting down a few notes. She pushed away the thoughts of her past, thoughts she knew would start bubbling up if she spoke to Elsa more. The Queen would want to know more about her, and more about how she understood that feeling of social isolation. But her situation was much different than being able to create beautiful snowflakes.

"No," she thought, starting to write out her nightly mantra. "You mustn't think that way. Who you are is who you are meant to be, and there is no use bringing yourself down for it. Everyone feels the heat of the sun. The heat of the heart can only be felt by oneself." She found herself yawning again, so she tucked the journal away and got into bed properly. She had a hunch that the next day would be a busy one. With that thought, she drifted off to sleep.

O O O


	4. Confessions, Part One

_Summary: _It was easy to let go when she believed she would never have to face the world again. It wasn't so easy when she felt the pressures of the kingdom to protect, the sister to care for, and the feelings she felt surfacing despite her attempts to squash them down like fresh snow under heavy boots. This is a story about the other side that Elsa was forced to hide. [ElsaxOFC] [KristoffxAnna]

_Author's Note: _Thank you to everyone who reads/favorites/watches/reviews. It's very much appreciated!

* * *

Chapter Four: Confessions, _Part One_

* * *

In his most official voice, the Captain privately announced,

"There is still no lead on the threat, Queen Elsa."

"I wouldn't call it a threat just now, Captain. There isn't sense in putting such a weighty word on something that could be nothing more than a misguided prank."

"Yes. You are right. We simply care for your safety."

"You should care for my safety. It's your duty. But until you notice any suspicious activity or any more anonymous messages, we should not be in any sort of panic."

Panic was the last thing Elsa needed. Reminding herself of this, she pushed the matter away and let the captain show himself out. There were other things that had to be dealt with. Unfortunately, these things meant that she couldn't join the group of friends on their tour of the kingdom that day. Instead, she spent hours going over important documents and studying laws. Elsa actually enjoyed the studying. It was peaceful and easy to get lost in numbers, dates, capitals, equations, locations, and other things that fed her brain. While Anna considered all of those things dreadfully boring, Elsa would bury herself in books all day long, and often did in the days of her isolation. She spent days drinking in word after word of everything from histories to fantasies.

"ELSA!"

The queen jumped, and the book in her hands froze rapidly. When she saw her orange-haired sister standing in a swimsuit in the doorframe she relaxed.

"Anna, please don't scare me like that."

"I have been standing her trying to talk to you and you didn't hear a word that I said. That is definitely a sign that you need to stop working."

"Are you really back already?" Elsa glanced at the clock. The last time she'd spoken to someone was at lunch, when Gerda brought her meal to her room. Now it was four past noon.

"Come on, we're going swimming!"

Elsa didn't try to argue. She got up, changed into a modest bathing suit, and went out to the side courtyard with her sister where Leo and Kristoff were already soaking themselves in the small pool. Natalia sat with her feet in the water. She wore an orange wrap that covered her from her shoulders to her ankles.

"Aren't you hot?" Elsa asked as she sat down beside her. "It's boiling out here."

"She's never hot," Leo answered.

"It's true," Natalia confirmed. She seemed like she was about to say something else when Anna's voice screamed,

"Look out!"

Anna was running at full speed. She leapt into the air, pulled her knees to her chest, and came splashing down into the water. Leo clapped for her when she rose up again.

"That was impressive. I think you may have emptied half of the pool on to our sisters."

"Oops!" She looked at the newly drenched girls, a hint of guilt on her face. "Um, sorry about that."

"I was going to get in the pool anyway," Elsa said calmly, some amusement in her voice. Anna was relieved to see her sister not getting upset, but wondered how Natalia would react. All eyes were on her as she stood and pulled off her wrap, letting it drop around her feet. Her body was still partially covered by a yellow swimsuit top and bottom, separated in the middle.

"It will dry," Natalia said with a shrug. She sat back down, and the three in the pool started up a conversation.

The only thing dry about Elsa at that moment was her mouth. She swallowed and pried her eyes away from the woman beside her. She stared into the pool as her cheeks burned red. There was no doubt now. Natalia was absolutely gorgeous.

"So, what have you been up to all day?"

Elsa froze, but thankfully it was only figuratively. Nervously, she looked at the princess who'd asked the question. That was a mistake, because the moment Elsa saw her shining eyes, she forgot what she had done all day. She had forgotten what a day _was_. It was a miracle that she was able to squeak out,

"Paperwork."

"Ah," Natalia nodded in understanding. "I'm lucky I'm the second born. If I had to do as much paperwork as you and Leo do, I'd lose it. I'd probably end up burning half of it."

Elsa willed herself to remember how to form a sentence.

"I have considered it. There's a fire place in my father's old office."

Natalia laughed, and Elsa watched as she tilted her head back slightly and closed her eyes as she did so. The queen was so flustered and unsure of what to do about it. Worrying that her blush would show, she slipped into the cool water. Why was she blushing? There was nothing to blush about! She tried to pull herself together silently. She noticed her sister sitting up suddenly, and looking towards the other end of the garden.

"Hey, there's Olaf!" Anna smiled and waved the little snowman over. He waddled towards the group.

"New friends!" he opened his arms to introduce himself. "Hi! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs."

"Anna has told us all about you. I'm Natalia, and this is my brother, Leo."

"Anna's such a sweetheart." He let loose one of his signature giggles. "Can I have a hug?"

"Of course you can." Natalia gave him a quick squeeze.

"Wow. You're really warm. And really pretty too."

"Why thank you, Olaf."

"I mean it. You have got to be one of the prettiest friends I have ever met. Elsa, isn't she just super pretty?"

Elsa's head snapped around. She glanced between the snowman and the princess. The naive little creature flapped his arms.

"Oh look! You're so pretty that Elsa's blushing! How cute."

"Woah!" Kristoff said suddenly. He jumped up at the same time, looking a the water. "Cold! Very, very cold!"

"Elsa, stop!" Anna shouted. "It's supposed to be refreshing, not freezing."

"I-I didn't mean to…" Elsa trailed off, very embarrassed. She had started chilling the water without even realizing it. It had been awhile since she'd had such a lack of control over her powers. Recently, it seemed she was accidentally sending out ice left and right with alarming consistency. She climbed out of the pool and started back for the palace. She was visibly shivering.

"Wait! Elsa!" Anna called. It was of no use; Elsa didn't turn around.

She scurried through the palace, leaving a trail of frosty water behind her the entire way. She didn't stop until she'd reached her bedroom and closed the door behind herself. She leaned back against the hard wood and sighed.

"What's gotten into me?" she wondered. Shaking, she found something to wear in her wardrobe and began to change. "So what if she's pretty? You've seen plenty of pretty girls. Granted, you haven't ever seen _so much_ of a pretty girl. And why did Olaf have to say that?" she groaned inwardly. Queens were not supposed to be flustered or giddy when they saw another woman's body. And they were not supposed to start freezing the pool and giving themselves away to everyone present. Upset, Elsa curled herself up on her bed.

o o o

Anna knocked after it had gotten dark. Elsa had calmed down somewhat, but was still too ashamed to show herself to the others. She figured she could just wait it out, rejoin them tomorrow, and act as though nothing had happened. Knowing Anna, however, she suspected it wasn't going to turn out that way. She could not refuse Anna entrance.

"Come in," she said softly.

"Hey," Anna spoke gently. She sat on the side of her older sister's bed, trying to position herself in a way that she wouldn't wrinkle the sheets too much. Elsa's bed was always kept too neatly for her taste, but she respected her sister's tidiness. Most of the time. She finally settled in and looked at the woman beside her.

"Elsa, I think we need to talk about something."

"What is it?" Elsa felt her stomach turn. This was it. Anna was finally going to connect the dots and realize that not only was her sister full of magic, but she was also full of uncommon feelings for other women. And then she would feel uncomfortable and awkward around her freaky sister for the rest of their lives together.

"It's about, um, what happened today."

"Uh huh." She tried her best to stay calm. But it was hardly working. Her hands stayed close to her chest, tucked together for warmth.

"Well, I was talking to Kristoff about it. He said it first, and I tried to tell him it couldn't be true. But then I thought 'maybe it is'."

It was time to confess.

"It is," Elsa admitted.

Anna's eyes looked as though they would pop.

"It is? I told Kristoff that he was gross for even thinking about it!"

Gross? Elsa wanted to throw up. She wanted to escape and disappear forever. Her own sister thought she was disgusting.

"I can't help it!" She finally broke down. Tears poured out of her eyes. "I didn't ask for this, Anna. Don't you think I would love to be like everyone else? I've tried liking men- I really have tried. I even tried taking an interest in Leo for you, but it's impossible. Ever since I was young, I have dreamt about living happily ever after with a princess. And if that disgusts you then I don't know what to do because _I can't help it_!" she hid her pale face in her hands, sobbing.

"Wait, what?" Anna looked confused. "A princess? You mean you…? Oh. _OH_. Oh wow. This took a waaaay different turn than I thought it was going to. Woah-oh." Anna was laughing awkwardly now, scratching the back of her head.

Elsa looked up at her, a mess. She sniffled, trying in vain to hold back her tears.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You are really gonna laugh when I tell you this. See, Kristoff said the reason the pool got so cold all of a sudden was that you, uh. Well, you know how when normal people 'go' in a pool, it gets really warm? Well he said, since it was you, it got cold but I said 'Elsa would _never_ do that! That's gross!' But, um. Yeah. There has clearly been a very big misunderstanding here."

Elsa burst into a new fit of sobbing, curling up into herself. Anna touched her shoulder comfortingly and drew her into a hug.

"Elsa, shh. It's alright. Kristoff was just joking. We knew that you wouldn't pee in the pool."

Elsa's crying started to slow down, but she still couldn't stop sniffling. Although speaking wasn't one of Anna's strongest abilities, she decided it might help if she offered some words of encouragement.

"And as for this whole, um, princess-loving matter. That's okay! I have a thing for a really big blonde guy and you have a thing for... people that aren't guys. That's not so new. You've always been the opposite of me. It makes sense that you're attracted to the opposite kind of person too. Doesn't it?"

Miserably, Elsa said,

"But it's not supposed to be that way, Anna."

"Says who?" Her eyebrows came together seriously. "You are smart, beautiful, kind, and gentle. And if you want to love someone who is the exact same way, then you are going to! And I know for a fact that you will be more loving towards that person than anyone else could be." Her voice became soothing and sincere."Because your love is the strongest thing I know."

The older of the sisters lifted her head and smiled. Anna gave her a genuine smile back.

"How did I manage to get stuck with the best sister in the world?" Elsa asked aloud.

"I don't know," Anna replied, a little bashful. "I've spent a lot of time just wanting to have you back in my life, so something like this isn't going to change how I feel. In fact, it's just nice to know you actually are interested in finding someone. I couldn't wrap my head around why you would want to grow old alone. It's just that all the guys I've been choosing haven't really been your type, have they?"

Elsa shook her head, the gentle smile still on her face. Anna gasped in excitement.

"Oh! Plus, if you _do_ get married to a princess, I could have _two_ sisters!"

Elsa managed to laugh as she wiped away her lingering tears and hugged Anna once more.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Well, I'm just saying, it would work out pretty well for both of us."

Elsa sat back and let out a shaky breath. She dabbed at her wet eyes again.

"Then if I ever found someone, I would ask you to approve."

"I do."

"You do what?"

"Approve of her."

"Approve of who?"

"Natalia, silly!"

Elsa gasped and stammered out,

"No, no, no. That's not what I said. I never said I-,"

"Stop right there." Anna pressed a finger against her sister's lips to quiet her, then shook the finger firmly at her in a very Anna-like mannerism. "Because now that I know that you have a heart that yearns for a feminine touch, it is obvious you like Natalia. No one wanted as big an eyeful of her in her bathing suit as you did today."

Elsa, feeling a familiar blush creep up her neck, could not even deny it.

"How did you notice that?"

"I thought you were just being jealous. But, wow, now that I think about it…Elsa! You sly dog." Anna grinned wickedly and poked her in the ribs.

"You are so embarrassing." Elsa shook her head.

"You were the one checking her out."

"Anna, shush! I was not 'checking' anyone out. Queens do not do that."

Anna bounced on the bed in excitement, singing out,

"Elsa likes Natalia~!"

"Shh! Be quiet!" Elsa lunged at her sister, trying to cover her mouth with her hand.

"Elsa likes Natalia~. El-mph!"

Elsa finally managed to plant her palm over Anna's big mouth.

"You're being completely immature. Can you please just try to be grown up about this?"

Anna stuck out her tongue, making sure it was extra wet and sloppy, and pressed it against Elsa's hand. The queen recoiled backwards in disgust.

"Eww!" she groaned, swiping her hand over the bed sheet. She wasn't sure she should be so shocked that her sister was bold enough to use that move. "I guess that was a hopeless request."

Anna giggled and wiped her own chin of any drool.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But we have to find out if she feels the same way."

"Anna, no. I strictly forbid you from mentioning anything to her, her brother, or to anyone! Even Kristoff. He cannot know about any of this."

"Why not?"

Elsa was overjoyed that her sister was so accepting, but she wondered if it was only because she was very naive to the ways of the world. Maybe she hadn't read as many books, or been told as many times by her father that men and women were created in such a way that they were meant to be together and that was that. Maybe Anna hadn't received subtle, frequent reminders that she would grow up to marry a man and there would be no princesses with long flowing hair. Or maybe she did, and that all seemed appealing to her. Elsa's shoulders drooped somewhat.

"I am expected to marry a man, Anna. That's the way things are."

"Well you were also expected to be a monster just because you have something special that they don't. But you proved them wrong. I'll keep your secret a secret, but honestly, this doesn't make you any more a monster than your magic does. In my eyes, it makes you even better."

"Why is that?" Elsa asked.

"Because it's who you are."

Elsa could feel the corners of her eyes welling with tears again. She almost told herself to hold back, but she remembered who she was with. In front of her sister, she was allowed to be who she truly was inside. Anna had gone through a lot to bring her to that realization.

"Thank you, Anna. Just to make you feel better, you have my permission to tell Kristoff. I know you'd end up accidentally telling him anyway, so you don't have to worry."

The younger girl let out a breath of relief.

"You know me so well. I probably would have taken one look at him and let it spill."

"You and Olaf really need to work on filtering what you say out loud," Elsa said as she stood. "How do you think Kristoff will react?"

"He'll feel just the same way as me. I've learned a lot about love from Kristoff. His family practically knows everything there is to know about it!"

Elsa frowned.

"The trolls? They don't approve of me at all, Anna."

Her sister's face fell.

"What do you mean? How could you know? I've tried to get you to come up and see them, and you always refuse."

Elsa was just full of hidden admissions today. Well, if she was letting the big one out, she might as well let Anna in on all of the little details.

"When I was young, dad took me to see the trolls. They told me that my heart was different. It could not be changed, and I should treat it like I did my powers. I should fear it and keep it controlled."

"But Elsa, don't you see? You found out that your powers didn't need to be concealed. You can be who you are!"

A complicated argument began to form in Elsa's mind. Anna was right, in a way. If her powers and her heart were supposed to be treated the same, then shouldn't she be free to love the way she was born to? And yet she could still hear her father's lectures. She was a queen. She would marry a man. She would produce heirs to the throne. This conflict was different, because it directly prohibited her ability to be the ruler the kingdom needed.

"You should come and talk to Kristoff's family again. Not right now, but soon. I think they could really help you understand. They helped me understand some things too."

"Like what?" Elsa asked curiously.

"Just stuff." Anna steered the conversation away immediately. "Anyway, this was good! And Elsa, if you ever need to talk- about _anything_- you know that I am always here for you." Anna got up then, too, and wrapped her arms around her sister. Elsa embraced her right back.

"Thank you, Anna. I promise I'll try to keep myself under control for the rest of the week. Natalia and Leo probably think I'm crazy."

"Don't worry. I think they both really like you."

"I hope so."

"Oh, I know you do." Anna teased her sister once more before opening the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." And she was gone.

Elsa wondered what had just happened. Overall, it seemed like the conversation went well. Anna had actually been excited and happy for her. That wasn't what she had expected at all. Feeling a little confident, she quietly went down the hall and knocked gently on Natalia's door. The other girl opened it and stood in the same nightgown she had worn the night before. Elsa's eyes glanced downward for only a fraction of a second, enough time for her to think once again about how beautiful Natalia was.

"Hi," the princess greeted her.

"Hi," Elsa repeated. "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier."

Natalia leaned against the doorway. Her hip stuck out in an attractive way that caused Elsa to wonder if that was completely necessary. Her only complaint was that it was distracting.

"Don't worry about it. Honestly, Elsa, you're better at entertaining than you think. I've seen kings with less put-togetherness than you."

"You're just saying that."

"No. I mean it. You don't have to try and impress me. You do it naturally."

Elsa clasped her hands together. She was used to receiving compliments, and could usually brush them off easily, but something about the way Natalia spoke to her was making her heart race and her palms damp. As silly as it seemed to her, just standing by Natalia made her feel like she was melting.

"Thank you for being so understanding."

"It is no problem at all."

They locked eyes. Elsa didn't realize they'd fallen into a silence until Natalia broke it.

"Do you want to come in?"

"Oh, I shouldn't," Elsa was quick to say. "I've bothered you enough. But thank you."

"It wouldn't bother me at all. Believe me."

Elsa considered it for only a second. But with all that had happened, she knew her head wasn't clear enough. If she were to start saying or doing something embarrassing, there would be no easy way to escape. She respectfully declined and bid the princess a good night.

When Elsa had finally excused herself back to her room, Natalia found herself scrubbing her hand over her forehead in frustration. That hadn't been casual conversation. That was outright _flirting_. She groaned at her forwardness. Did Elsa leave because it made her uncomfortable, or had Elsa noticed at all?

Both fortunately and unfortunately for Natalia, Elsa did not notice. The struggle with her feelings was more prominent. While it was obvious that she liked Natalia, she felt as if it were a hopeless romance. And for that reason, as well as her very limited understanding of real life casual flirtation, Elsa did not recognize the compliments as a sign of Natalia's interest in her. Elsa focused solely on how those comments should not be making her feel so dizzy that she was afraid to stick around much longer. She waved the confusion aside, and figured she would put out thoughts of Natalia for the rest of the evening. Natalia silently resolved to do the same for Elsa.

Both found that to be a difficult task.

O O O


	5. Confessions, Part Two

_Summary: _It was easy to let go when she believed she would never have to face the world again. It wasn't so easy when she felt the pressures of the kingdom to protect, the sister to care for, and the feelings she felt surfacing despite her attempts to squash them down like fresh snow under heavy boots. This is a story about the other side that Elsa was forced to hide. [ElsaxOFC] [KristoffxAnna]

_Author's Note: _Things heat up a little in this chapter ;)

* * *

Chapter Five: Confessions, _Part Two_

* * *

"This looks like a good place, Sven!"

Kristoff pulled the reins back slightly, and the sled shifted to a halt. Anna excitedly jumped out and began pulling things out of the back, behind where the prince and princess of Kohbara sat in their make-shift seat. She tossed out a big blanket in the middle of the clearing. Leo, having climbed out as well, helped her smooth it out evenly and took a seat at one corner.

"It's beautiful out here."

"Isn't it?" Anna handed him a plate and arranged the other dishes and silverware around the picnic blanket. She was especially excited to get out of the house after a day of being forced to do her lessons. Having a late lunch out in the forest was a welcomed change of scenery. "Half of the fun of Arendelle is everything that surrounds it."

The others took their own spots on the blanket as Anna began to pass around food. Kristoff shook one of the metal containers.

"Anna, what is this?"

"Soup."

"Soup? You can't pack hot food on a picnic, Anna. It's gotten cold now."

"Well I wasn't thinking that when I packed it."

"Is most of the food you put in there supposed to be served warm?"

Anna blinked and dug through the things.

"Um. Hmm. Everything except the sandwiches." She frowned. "Okay, this is the first picnic I packed! Don't blame me."

"It's alright," Natalia spoke up. "I can heat everything up."

Leo seemed to be the only one not confused by this statement.

"You can?" Kristoff asked.

"Well, yes. I guess this is an appropriate time to confess something. And isn't the saying that 'actions speak louder than words'?" She picked up the container of soup, unscrewed the lid, and sat it in her hand as the others watched her. Natalia glanced at each one of them, before finally resting her bright eyes on Elsa. She took in a deep breath. The three of them jumped back in surprise and terror as a flame engulfed Natalia's hand and began to scorch the bottom of the container.

"Holy crap!" Kristoff shouted.

"Oh my god!" Anna gasped. Elsa's mouth had dropped open, but no sound came out.

Almost immediately, steam began to rise from the thermos, and the soup bubbled with renewed warmth. "Surprise!" Natalia said, somewhat weakly. "I'm a human fireplace."

Kristoff and Anna had their eyebrows raised so high they could have blended with their hairlines. Natalia extinguished the flames, feeling slightly guilty that she had scared them as much as she did. Maybe she should have prepared them with a little more of a warning. She lifted her hand to show that it was perfectly fine.

"I know I should have mentioned it before, but I wanted to make sure Elsa was going to be alright with it. I was pretty surprised myself when I heard there was a Snow Queen. And, honestly, I was a little worried about melting her before we arrived."

"Luckily," Leo quipped, "We discovered that Elsa is in fact _not_ made of snow. Which makes sense. Natalia isn't made out of fire, thankfully. That would cause a whole lot of problems."

Anna laughed, shaking the shock from her face.

"This is totally crazy! You actually have heat powers? It's like you and Elsa are _meant_ to be!"

It wasn't physically possible for Elsa's eyes to grow any wider than they did at that moment.

"Friends! Meant to be friends," Anna added instantly. She prided herself for being so quick.

"I'm really sorry if this is freaking you out," Natalia apologized. This was mostly said to Elsa, who still hadn't had the ability to say something. "I know it's sort of sudden." She gripped her wrist nervously.

"Sudden?" Elsa finally squeaked. "I don't think it's the suddenness that's so surprising."

Natalia smiled at her sheepishly.

"Well, now you know why I said I could relate to you so much. I've lived with this my whole life." She gestured with her hand as she said this. Tiny sparks fluttered from the tips of her fingers to emphasize what 'this' had meant.

Anna spoke up.

"Don't worry. We're used to randomly finding out about magical powers around here. It's happening at an alarmingly increasing rate."

Kristoff nodded in agreement.

"And I grew up with trolls. There's always talk about incantations and enchanted crystals back home."

Natalia and her brother felt much more at ease, then.

"We had looked forward to this happening," Leo admitted. "When we asked to visit, it was in the hopes of finding someone else who could understand. It was by chance that we found out you were here, facing the same thing we have been dealing with for years. I don't have any special powers, but I've stood by my sister just like Anna has stood by Elsa."

Anna gave him a warm smile. It was all too obvious why they had connected so easily. Elsa and Natalia seemed focused on each other now. Both girls were smiling excitedly at one another.

"You're sure it's okay?" Natalia asked gently. "You aren't afraid, are you?"

"Afraid? This is amazing. I hadn't even thought about other people having powers. Not for so many years. And now to find out that you have them? I might make a fool of myself and start crying."

"I know the feeling."

They soon blocked out everything going on around them to rapidly fire questions and answers back and forth. They discussed everything- when they first began to comprehend what they could do, what were some things that triggered it most, how they dealt with accidental freezing and burning as little kids, what happened when they were upset. Elsa had never felt like this before. She was overwhelmed with emotion. The others let them alone, mostly because it would be impossible to get a word in. Anna smirked at Kristoff.

"Opposites totally attract."

Leo gave her a curious look.

o o o

After a while, Anna stood up to announce that she needed some entertainment.

"Watching you two exchange stories about flaming curtains and frosted windows is really exciting and all, but we came out here to do something really fun."

"Right," Elsa settled down, but still had a glow about her that let everyone know she was enthused. "I think I promised to make a hill and some sleds, didn't I?"

With a wave of her arms, she crafted the group its very own snowy slide and a couple of small, sleek sleds. Anna grabbed one with a cheer and set off down the slope with a shout. Everyone laughed with her as she rolled off at the bottom and tried to act as if she had meant to do it. Each of them took turns going down the icy path, sometimes two or three at a time, while Sven was happy to stand by and eat his weight in leftovers. By the time the sun was just about done setting, only the boys and Anna still had the energy to race down the hill. They'd convinced Elsa to build up a small ramp halfway down and started to compete to see who could fly the highest and farthest.

Out of the way, Elsa stood beside Natalia in the clearing. Natalia shaped her hands over one another and formed a burst of deep orange flame in her cupped palm.

"It's not as versatile as snow," she said, "but it'll give us warmth and light tonight." She tilted her hand and let the flame spill into the kindling by their feet. The pile of sticks set alight and crackled in the crisp night air.

"It's beautiful," Elsa commented. "It's like it comes to life."

"It is. But you should never try sledding on it, or throwing it your friends, or making ice cream with it. All of those things can be your job."

Elsa giggled. She watched the flames dance higher into the sky. She admired the way small embers drifted off on their own, almost like tiny glowing snowflakes, and led themselves wherever they pleased.

"Thank you for sharing this with me."

Natalia looked at her.

"I wouldn't have wanted to hide it from you. I was just waiting for the right time."

Elsa nodded. There was no reason to be upset. Natalia had let her know that, while she was comfortable with and in control of her powers, she did not admit to many people what she could do. It was easier just to save her gift for when it was really needed. Fire was, naturally, a very dangerous and unpredictable element. Even when it seemed soft and gentle, it was still burning and wild.

"May I touch you?"

Elsa was broken from her train of thought, suddenly taken aback by the question. She looked at the other girl, who noticed the surprise on her face. Natalia immediately tried to explain.

"You can say no. I just was wondering what would happen if we touched. You know, if your hand would hurt or something if I touched it? I've never had that problem with anyone else, but it might happen with a Snow Queen." She tried to brush the awkwardness away. "It was just a silly thought. Forget I said anything."

"It was a strange request," Elsa stated cautiously. "But I wouldn't mind."

Elsa started to lift one of her hands and planned to turn towards Natalia and touch just her fingertips briefly. Natalia, however, just casually wrapped her hand around the one at Elsa's side. Elsa felt warm fingers slip in between hers and nearly gasped at the contact. It was such a strange sensation. Natalia filled the gaps between Elsa's digits perfectly, and the soft yet firm grip she kept was unfamiliar but comforting at the same time. Elsa's heart began to quicken its pace.

"Does it feel hot to you?" Natalia asked. Elsa was embarrassed. She wasn't sure if it was Natalia's innate heat that was causing her to feel warmer or if it was just the contact itself.

"Yes. A little."

"Odd," Natalia replied. "I don't feel cold at all."

Elsa couldn't bring herself to look at the girl holding her hand. She let her eyes drift somewhere off to the side of the fire. She wondered if Natalia would ever let go. She secretly hoped she wouldn't.

They stayed that way for what felt like a very long time. The crackling fire and the distant sounds of the boys and Anna filled the silence between the girls. Neither wanted to admit how right it felt to have their hands linked together in that quiet moment. Both told themselves it was just to see if anything odd happened. Just another minute. Maybe something strange would happen. Even Elsa would have justified it as an experiment and nothing more, despite the fact she had only held hands once or twice briefly with Anna, so there was really nothing to compare the feeling to anyway. Despite her lack of experience, she was pretty sure that holding hands did not normally feel this wonderful.

Elsa was the first to release the grasp. It was when she heard Anna approaching, saying,

"Ooh! A fire! That is exactly what I need right now." She held her arms out towards the flame.

Elsa and Natalia looked at one another sheepishly, putting just a bit more distance in between themselves.

"Your sister," Leo said, aiming his comment at Elsa, "is one of the most daring people I've ever met."

"She tends to act before she thinks. It's not a very princess-like way of behaving, but I wouldn't change a thing about her."

Anna shot her a toothy grin.

"Except maybe the way eats." Elsa gave a little smirk in return. "That could be improved."

"Elsa," Anna whined. "Don't ruin a nice moment with things like that."

Kristoff joined in.

"She has a point, Anna."

Anna gave him a light tap on his chest.

"Look who's talking. Sven has better table manners than you."

Leo laughed and added,

"Has he ever had milk come out of his nose in front of a foreign prime minister?"

"Don't bring that up!" Natalia lamented. "It was one time. And you made me laugh, so it wasn't really my fault."

"How severe are we talking?" Kristoff asked. "Was it just a little nose dribble or like a nostril cannon?"

"Definitely a cannon. It was everywhere; the plates, the table, the centerpiece."

Natalia groaned, covering her face.

"Boys are so disgusting."

o o o

Anna had fallen asleep on the ride home. After giving Sven a goodnight farewell, Kristoff carried her up to her room with all of the others following behind.

"You'll be dropping her off and going to your _own_ room, right, Kristoff?" Elsa lifted a suspicious eyebrow.

"Of course," Kristoff replied quickly. "No need to worry."

"Mhm." Elsa was mostly teasing him, but it didn't hurt to remind him it was her sister he was dealing with. Kristoff was always so gentle and loving. She knew she never had to worry about him. It was Anna who liked to cause trouble.

She watched him duck into Anna's room so he could tuck her in. Leo gave his sister a gentle touch on the shoulder, wished both girls a good night, and left for his own quarters. Once again, the girls stood alone. As usual, Natalia was the first to speak up.

"Tonight was a lot of fun."

"Yes. It was."

Sensing that there wasn't much to say anyway, Natalia took the moment to slip her hand into Elsa's once again. Elsa seemed to tense for only a moment at the unexpected touch, but then let herself relax. Trying to contain her excitement, she calmly asked,

"Anything feel strange?"

"No. It still feels the same. It still feels great." She hadn't meant to say the last part, but it happened anyway.

"I've never really held hands like this with anyone," Elsa confessed.

"Really? You must get men writing to you and showing up to court you all the time."

"I do. But they don't get this far, if they get here at all."

"Then I am honored, Elsa, to be the first."

With no warning, Natalia lifted Elsa's dainty fingers and pressed a gentle kiss to them. If Elsa's cheeks hadn't already been burning, they were then. This time, it was impossible for her to deny where the heat was coming from. It was not from the woman of fire in front of her, but from her own body screaming at her that this felt wonderful and she wanted it to happen again and again. Elsa almost considered shaking Anna awake and asking her how to get rid of the overwhelming tingling sensation that was taking over.

Natalia knew she should not have been so brash. But she already had Elsa's permission to touch her, and the opportunity to give her such a chaste sign of her affection was too strong to ignore. Her instinct took over. Somewhere in her rational mind she realized she should not have been trying to show her affection at all. She wondered if, considering Elsa's circumstances, she had crossed a line. Afraid that was exactly the case, Natalia quietly excused herself and went into her room.

Elsa stood motionless in the dark hall for another moment.

"You okay?" Kristoff asked, emerging from Anna's room and spotting the queen.

Natalia heard the nearly silent response just outside the door.

"Never been better."

Elsa went off to collapse in her room, reduced to a puddle on her bed. She could still feel the kiss lingering on her skin as she fell asleep.

O O O

* * *

_Author's Note:_ So yes, as some may have expected, Natalia has fire powers (I had left some hints). And if you cannot tell by now, I am a very 'cheesy' person ;P Day four of the week is coming soon.


	6. Stronger

_Summary: _It was easy to let go when she believed she would never have to face the world again. It wasn't so easy when she felt the pressures of the kingdom to protect, the sister to care for, and the feelings she felt surfacing despite her attempts to squash them down like fresh snow under heavy boots. This is a story about the other side that Elsa was forced to hide. [ElsaxOFC] [KristoffxAnna]

_Author's Note: _I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to read this. Hope this chapter is consistent with what you've enjoyed so far. :)

* * *

Chapter Six: Stronger

* * *

Natalia had been fifteen when it happened. That meant that she had spent fifteen years of being adored by the people of Kohbara. They believed that her powers had been a gift from the gods and that she would one day bring them all some kind of good fortune. She had a room in the palace with a wall made out of windows and a large glass door to let the sunlight in. The room was filled with the gifts and offerings she received. She lived in luxury and spent her afternoons in that room on her favorite lounge chairs. The warm sun filtered through the open windows as servants brought her drinks and treats.

There was one servant in particular that Natalia noticed more than the others. She was a petite woman with black eyes and short black hair. One day, when the girl brought in a tray of lunch for her, she asked her name. The girl was surprised to be spoken to by the princess, but replied that her name was Tri.

Tri had a delightful smile that Natalia found somewhat infectious. She was always grinning when she walked into the room to serve lunch. As she stepped back to let Natalia eat, her smile might start to fade. The princesses decided that she should start talking to her so that wouldn't happen.

"Open that present for me please," she'd said one day. Her finger pointed to the first wrapped box that it found. Somewhat apprehensively, the servant picked up the package and went to work opening it. When she finally retrieved the necklace inside, Natalia asked,

"Do you like it?"

"Oh yes. It's beautiful, your majesty."

"I want you to have it. It would look even better on you."

"It could never look as good on me as it would on you, your majesty. I wouldn't even wish it."

Seeing the unbelievably large smile this brought to Tri's face was more pleasing to her than any of those presents could have been. She liked to repeat this random gift-giving quite often. She would always compliment Tri, and Tri would compliment her right back.

Before long, Natalia realized that she had developed quite the liking for the young woman. After being served her lunch one day, she beckoned her to come closer. She brushed Tri's cheek with her hand, and Tri didn't shy away. She didn't even appear to question the action. She welcomed it.

It had progressed from there to kissing. Kissing the servant girl was a risky move brought on by desire. There was desire within her to sort out feelings that she had been leery of since the beginning of her turbulent teenage years, as well as a desire to become close to someone in a way that she had never had the chance to before. The secret kissing, touching, and exploring went on for about a month. The girl would come in to serve lunch as usual, but the princess usually wasn't interested in the food.

"Your majesty," Tri said one day. She was a little breathless as she lay beneath the princess on her chaise.

"Please, you know you do not have to use that title."

"I think I should," Tri said seriously. "I do not want to talk out of term, but this is going very far. And I'm afraid that you don't know what might happen if anyone were to find out."

"I know that this isn't what a princess normally does," Natalia explained. "But it's alright. No one knows anyway."

"Well, it's just that, there are so many people out there that do not approve of this. Why, I have never told you this, but my mother had another sister once. But when they caught her dressing as a man and lying with another woman…she was disowned. They ran her out of her home, then ran her out of the town, and out of the country. And I'm just afraid that I may meet the same fate."

This sort of thing had never occurred to Natalia. This had always been a special thing that happened between them, and she never spoke a word of it to anyone else. Still, there was always the possibility of someone finding out…

"That's why I agreed to the arrangement my father has made for me."

Natalia gaped at her, shocked.

"Arrangement?"

"Yes. He found a man for me who has a stable income and a nice home in the countryside. It was too good a deal to refuse. I did not want my father thinking that I was like my mother's sister. I do not want to be disowned."

Natalia felt her heart swelling, but not in a pleasant way. Tears stung at her eyes.

"You are just going to leave me?"

"I am so sorry, your majesty. People like my father and mother just do not approve of things like this. Most people are the same way."

"Well I am not," Natalia said. The anger inside of her was building and beginning to bubble out. "I can be happy the way that I am. I would never sacrifice my happiness for someone else. Especially not for some man!"

Tri wouldn't look at her now. She stood and kept her head bowed.

"I have no choice, your majesty."

"Of course you do!" Natalia shouted. She reached out to grab her by the arm. Tri tried to pull away in surprise, but it only made Natalia grip tighter.

"Don't run away from me!" She screamed desperately. Unfortunately, her anger was strong enough to turn the gesture into a scorching blast of heat from her palm. Tri's arm was deeply burned, and the servant let out a cry of absolute pain. The look that Tri gave her was one of absolute fear.

The nurse took the young woman away shortly after. It was the last time Natalia saw her. She still felt guilty for the temporary loss of control, and resolved to keep her powers mostly to herself and her brother. When word got out that a servant of the king was burned by his daughter and moved away shortly after, gossip spread. The luxurious gifts stopped when the people of Kohbara began to rethink the motives of a human princess with godlike powers.

The whole event made Natalia see things in a different way. She understood that there would be people in the world that would hate her. But what was the sense in focusing on the hate? She had to love herself, even when no one else would. The way she felt inside wasn't going to change. Luckily, she did have Leo and he had always agreed with her. It was best to use her writing to escape when she felt lonely and to remember that one day everything would make sense.

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. On the morning of her fourth day in Arendelle, she sat in the middle of the guest room with her legs crossed and her mind completely focused. Each warm breath she released served to calm her, along with each recitation of her mantra. When she had finished her usual cycle, she felt relaxed and refreshed. Her eyes opened slowly and she realized why she hadn't felt the morning sun on her face yet. The sky was full of weighty rain clouds, and it wouldn't be long before all of Arendelle was caught in a downpour.

There was a knock from the door. She unfolded her legs and turned to face it as she called,

"Come in".

Leo stepped into the room, already dressed in his normal regal attire. He was always so pulled together, but she knew it was only for show. Beneath was the playful, easy-going kid he'd always been. She smiled as he took a seat on the edge of her bed.

"How are you doing?"

"Great. Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby. Metaphorically speaking. Babies really aren't good sleepers, but I had a pleasant night. How about you?"

"I had an amazing night," she sighed wistfully and fell back onto the floor, spreading out her arms and legs. "I did something I shouldn't have done, but it still felt right."

One of Leo's dark eyebrows arched upward.

"Should I know about this forbidden thing?"

"It's nothing too terrible," she began to explain. "It was only a kiss on the hand."

"Scandalous."

"Well it is! For a princess to do for a queen is most unorthodox."

"That's very true. I should be scolding you. How did she react?"

The princess smiled fondly at the memory.

"She said, 'Never been better'. And I don't know if she meant it or not, but it sounded that like she did. She didn't pull away and run screaming. She didn't slap me across the face. So maybe she liked it?"

Leo smirked, amused by his sister and genuinely intrigued.

"What? You think Elsa is even more like you than we originally thought?"

"I sure hope so. Just looking at her gives me all of those silly feelings. Have you seen her eyes? And her smile is perfect. She's so gentle and soft and sweet it hurts. I can't stop thinking about her! It isn't natural for a person to take up this much room in another person's head."

"Well, just keep in mind that we sail back to the other half of the world at the end of this week. There may be a chance that you've found another magic-wielding young adult female that also shares your…_unique_ romantic interests, but that would mean an incredible coincidence."

"Maybe not," Natalia mused. "People are put on this earth and destined to meet for a reason, Leo. Chance encounters are really just fate stepping in."

"True. I've always believed that myself. But this is still a queen we're talking about. A queen that seems a bit more traditional than you, if you ask me. Not that that is a bad thing."

"You want to make it a bet?"

"No, I do not want to make it a bet!"

"Why? Because you know I'll win?"

"I do not want to bet on whether or not you can get the queen of Arendelle to cause a national scandal with you."

"Stop using that word. We're at a very innocent stage right now!"

"As you should be." He made a face. "I do _not_ want to think about anything un-innocent going on. That is going way too far. I'm speaking from a diplomatic standpoint: this could cause very poor relations between two kingdoms that may be able to depend on one another in the future if you do not allow your judgment to be clouded."

She looked up at him.

"What would you say as a brother?"

He paused a moment. Then, calmly,

"If you really feel very strongly about this then just take it slow. I can see why you like her. She is rather pretty."

Natalia jumped up and hugged her brother tightly before starting to get ready for the day.

"What should I wear? No, don't tell me, I already have something in mind."

Leo shook his head before glancing out the window.

"Huh. The weather might put a damper on Princess Anna's schedule."

Natalia tugged her dress over her head.

"Oh, I'm sure she has something else planned."

o o o

"But I didn't plan anything for indoors!" Anna lamented, letting her forehead drop against the glass of a closed window that was currently being pelted by rain. Her pout squished against the cool surface of the pane.

"It'll clear up by tomorrow," Kristoff said. "Spending one day inside won't be the worst thing ever."

The girl beside him turned and threw her arms out in a dramatic gesture.

"I've done practically everything there is to do inside of this place."

"Not with all of us, you haven't." Kristoff motioned to illustrate his point. Around her in the common area were the prince, princess, and queen. Elsa refused to let her eyes meet Natalia's. Not because she didn't want to look at her (she most certainly _did _want to look at her)but because she knew she'd get visibly flustered over what had happened the night before, as brief as it was. A first kiss was still a first kiss.

"That's true." Anna mulled over the possibilities. "Oh! I know! I'll get my bike and we can-,"

"No." Elsa said firmly.

"But-,"

"Absolutely not. I will not send Kohbara's leaders home with fractured skulls and broken limbs just because you thought it would be a good idea to push them down a spiraling staircase."

Leo and Natalia exchanged a look.

"Fine," Anna said. "Then hide and seek it is!"

Elsa squeezed her own arm with her hand, a nervous gesture that had not quite left her.

"Well, that game is a little childish…"

"Not it!" Leo shouted, throwing his hand into the air.

"Me either!" Natalia followed.

Elsa glanced at them, confused.

"Not it!" Kristoff added in quickly.

Elsa sensed that Anna would try and beat her to it. She lost her royal dignity, nearly falling out of her chair, as she cried out,

"Not it!"

Anna giggled.

"It's great to see you getting excited about it. I wanted to be the finder anyway."

Kristoff snorted at Elsa, who then gave him a playful glare. Anna spun around on her heels, covered her eyes and said,

"Okay, you guys have until I count to thirty."

Kristoff took off first, and Leo and Natalia were dashing right behind him. Elsa quickly left the room and went right, the opposite way that Natalia was headed. She knew already where she would hide, so it was convenient that she could continue to ignore her guest without making it seem to obvious that she was avoiding the confrontation. Elsa had lain awake the night before clutching her kissed hand and thinking about the difficult situation she faced. This kiss signaled the very unlikely possibility that Natalia had feelings for her. That thought was dangerous as just a thought, so she felt she needed some time to let herself think things through.

Natalia stopped when she noticed Elsa turning the other way. She abandoned her original plan quickly. Fitting into a suit of armor with such a short time frame probably wouldn't have worked anyway. She started to walk briskly to follow the queen, who was quite a ways ahead of her. By the time she turned another corner at the end of the hall, she had lost sight of Elsa. Thankfully, she caught sight of the largest door in the hall creaking shut and a grin broke out across her face. What better place to hide than the castle library?

She walked in between some of the huge rows of books. On the shelves stood colored spines with thousands of different titles on them. She was half tempted to search for a good one to take with her as she hid, but finding Elsa was more appealing at the moment. She eventually made her way deeper into the library and found a small reading area surrounded by windows. Elsa stood nearby, lifting the seat of a cushioned bench and revealing a hidden storage space beneath. Natalia was impressed. She was taking her hiding seriously.

"That's a great spot," Natalia complimented. Elsa jumped, and the princess immediately felt guilty for scaring her.

"Oh. Thank you." Elsa didn't seem to relax much when she realized who it was that was speaking to her. "I didn't notice you were behind me."

"I didn't know where to hide," Natalia lied. Well, it wasn't a full lie. "This place is pretty unfamiliar. I didn't want to get lost."

"Right," Elsa replied. She still had one hand on the lid of the bench. Her eyes drifted toward it instead of looking at the other girl. The thought of the kiss came back into her head. She wondered if Natalia still thought about it too, or if it was just a common gesture that hadn't meant a thing. Romance was proving to be a terrible challenge. Even if she had meant the kiss to be a sign of affection, how could she get her to admit it?

"Elsa." Natalia stepped closer. "Did I make you feel uncomfortable last night?"

Elsa turned her attention on her fully now. At least one of her questions had been answered. Natalia was still thinking about it.

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

"You just seem a little different today. I want to make sure that I didn't cross any lines that I shouldn't have."

"Oh no," Elsa assured her. "I'm fine." She hesitated only a moment before adding, "It was only a kiss on the hand, right?"

"Right."

Both of them felt a little let down. Neither of them wanted to think of it as 'just a kiss' because they both wanted it to lead somewhere else. Thinking of what Leo had told her, Natalia gathered some courage.

"Just a kiss on the hand," she repeated. She tried her best to sound nonchalant. "I could do it again and it would feel just the same."

"Yes. It would." Elsa nodded her head, letting Natalia's words sink in. She had been working with legalese text books and craftily-worded documents for a long time. Natalia had a strong grasp of language, from what Elsa could tell. It was possible that what she was saying had a hidden meaning to it. Elsa decided to test it with a vague comment of her own. "Actually, it might feel a little different today."

"Why is that?" Natalia asked, not having expected that response.

"Well, I actually have some perfume on my hand today." She smiled at the princess. Natalia had a weakness for beautiful smiles like hers.

"Oh really?" she neared Elsa and lifted her hand with her fingers. "What does it smell like?"

Elsa took in a breath of air quietly.

"It's some sort of flower. I've forgotten." Elsa knew what it was, but the name wouldn't come to her. Not with Natalia repeating what she did the night before. She felt the warmth of the princess's lips spread from her hand to her whole body. She noted that Natalia lingered a bit longer than she had the first time. Her eyes connected with Elsa's as she gently pulled her lips back and grinned.

"It tastes quite nice too."

Elsa's head was spinning. Was this what courting was like? This is what courting had always sounded like. But could Natalia really be making advances on her? Was it possible? A loud crash coming from the opposite side of the room snapped her back to coherent thought.

"Oops!" Anna's voice rang out in the silence. "I'll just pick that up later…"

"It's Anna," Natalia whispered. She was glancing toward the source of the sound, which had undoubtedly been the result of Anna knocking over a stack of books by the entrance of the library. Natalia glanced at the open hiding spot that Elsa had revealed and smirked as she slipped into it, forgetting momentarily that she was still holding the Queen's hand. She tugged her gently forward. Elsa must not have been thinking straight, and followed the slight pull. Just as Natalia had gotten herself settled comfortably on her back, Elsa tumbled in on top of her and slammed the lid shut.

"I heard that!" Anna called, somewhere off in the distance. It was then that Elsa realized what she had just done. Her entire body was pressed against Natalia's in the darkness of the close space. Almost immediately, she did a sort of push up and stayed in the air with her arms and feet supporting her. Should she move, she wondered? Should she just give up on trying to win the silly game and reveal them both? Uncomfortably trying to hover over Natalia, she hoped she couldn't see her flustered face through the dark. Just as she was about to escape the very awkward situation, a thought occurred to her.

_Anna is headed this way right now. If she sees us like this, I will never hear the end of it._

She gulped. Now she would just have to pray Anna was as terrible at hide-and-go-seek as she was when they were little kids.

Natalia was thankful that she could move both of her arms; though that was the extent of movement she could manage in the confined space. She lit a gentle flame with the tips of her fingers, feeling bad when it made Elsa jump.

"Sorry," she apologized quickly. "It's alright. I just wanted some light." She let her other hand touch Elsa's back comfortingly. It only made Elsa want to squirm more.

"Please be quiet." She said with her lips tight and eyes focused forward. "I really don't want Anna to find us."

Natalia could have sworn she saw redness in Elsa's cheeks. But no, she told herself. It must have been from the flames.

Elsa's heart was pounding. She had never been this close to another woman. She was just getting used to being around other people, but none of them ever hugged her. Now, as her arms and toes began to grow tired from holding herself up, she wondered how she was going to manage getting even closer.

"Um," Natalia noticed Elsa's arms wobbling. She tried to keep her voice as quiet as possible. "You can lie down." Elsa noticed the princess's eyes were directed away from her as she spoke, as if she were embarrassed too. She took in a breath and gently lowered herself down. Natalia tried her hardest not to enjoy the predicament they were in. Even if it wasn't entirely her fault, she felt like they might be crossing a border here. Kissing a hand was one thing. Being caught in a position like this had some other implications.

Elsa was perfectly aware of those implications and of her body's reaction to them. As nervous as this all made her, she couldn't help but notice how wonderful it felt to be pressed up against the beautiful princess beneath her. It was beyond warm, and her stomach twisted in an unfamiliar way.

"No," Elsa thought quickly. "This is not the time. This is not the place."

Then they heard the footsteps. Anna was just a few feet away. They lay in silence. Natalia closed her eyes and began to silently recite one of her mantras to keep her mind far away from all of the things it could be thinking. Elsa listened intently, scared to death that Anna would open the bench. She had to know it was there. She had spent enough time in the castle to know every secret it had.

"I know you're in here somewhere…" Anna grinned mischievously. Elsa knew by the sound of her voice and the creaking of the doors that she'd opened the cabinet towards the right side of the room. "I don't know which one of you is in here though. I probably shouldn't do anything too embarrassing. Ah ha!"

Elsa, sure that the sound meant Anna had figured it out, was so startled that she moved. This broke Natalia's concentration and caused her to grip the walls of their tiny hiding space. Unfortunately, she'd completely forgotten about the flame coming out of her hand. She scorched the inside of the bench and made a significant amount of smoke rise out of the crack where the lid met the burned wood. Elsa stared at her in horror. This was not good.

"Natalia!"

Anna ran over to the bench and flung the lid open happily.

"I found you…oh."

Elsa looked up over her shoulder at her sister, whose expression changed rapidly. First, it was surprise. Then, slight confusion. When her brain finally registered what she was seeing, though, a knowing smile spread across her rosy cheeks.

"Oh," she repeated. Her tone more suggestive this time. "I see what's going on here."

Elsa blushed furiously and sat up as fast as she could manage, climbing out of the bench.

"Nothing! Nothing is going on. You found us. Good job. Move on!" She pushed her sister's back gently, urging her out of the room.

"I am. I wouldn't want to interrupt your _alone time_ any longer."

Anna glanced at Natalia and winked. Natalia gaped at her. Was she saying…?

"I have no idea what you are implying."

Oh she was.

"Who said I was implying anything?"

"_Anna_!" Elsa cried desperately.

With another giggle, Anna skipped out of the room. The mortified queen turned back to look at her guest, who now had her feet planted back on the carpet. Still shocked from the gesture Anna had made, she began to wonder if Anna knew something she didn't.

"I am so sorry," the queen began. "I should have never- that was very- And my sister didn't mean-,"

"Elsa." The way she said her name was firm but still gentle, just like the touch of her hand on her arm as she said it. Her expression suggested she was not upset at all. "Please. Don't worry about it. Though, your sister said something I found sort of interesting."

Elsa tried to pull herself together. Standing straighter, she put on her best regal face. It was the only way she could see herself saying a full sentence at this point.

"She sometimes lets her imagination get the best of her."

"Then there is another thing her and I have in common. Only, I hope that we aren't letting our imaginations run too wild this time."

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked cautiously.

"I really don't want there to be any unnecessary tension between us."

"Tension? Oh no, there's none of that."

"Are you sure? You seemed quite tense in there."

Elsa cringed.

"Well it was a little embarrassing. And very, very un-queen-like."

"So is playing hide-n-seek. We were only hugging. Horizontally, but still hugging."

"Oh is that what it was?" Elsa covered her mouth as she laughed. "We had not even gotten to vertical hugging, you know. You skipped right over that. Kissing is supposed to come afterward."

"I will admit that I have been very forward with you. You just don't seem to be moving backward."

Elsa hesitated only a moment.

"No. I haven't been."

"Am I welcome then to take that as a sign? A sign that I may continue being forward?" Natalia knew this was dangerous territory. She only hoped Elsa understood what she was asking and let her down gently if the answer was no.

Elsa could hardly believe what was happening. Whereas not very many minutes ago she was questioning Natalia's intentions, they seemed quite clear now. Somehow she was saying exactly what needed to be said without actually saying anything. The uncertainty of it all made Elsa nervous. The fact that they felt naturally drawn to one another was undeniable, but this was different. This meant so many things. This meant…

"I'm really not alone after all," Elsa whispered, mostly to herself. Natalia smiled and stepped closer.

"_We_ aren't alone."

Natalia wrapped her arms slowly around the queen, this time able to enjoy the feeling of their contact much more. She kept her hands high on Elsa's back, but drew her near to feel her inner warmth and the shape of her body. Elsa relaxed into her arms and hugged the princess back. She closed her eyes after a moment, feeling safe rather than anxious. Still, the moment was overwhelming. The majority of her life had told her she was all alone, and that there would never be anyone like her in the world. But somehow she now stood in the arms of a woman that was like her in so many ways.

The clearing of a throat broke the quiet, tender moment. Elsa leaped backwards as soon as she heard it, and was relieved that she did so. Leo had made the noise, and behind him stood her sister and the burly ice harvester.

"You found the boys quickly," Natalia pointed out. Elsa admired the way she could act as though nothing had happened.

"Kristoff chose a really lame place to hide," Anna explained.

"I'm too big to fit in any of the cabinets in this place!"

"That's not a very good excuse. You could have climbed up into the rafters."

"With what, Anna? I don't carry my rope around the house."

"Well maybe you should. It might come in handy in places you wouldn't expect."

"Where did you hide?" Natalia interrupted, her question aimed at Leo. "Under a rug?"

"Behind a statue, actually!" Anna happily answered. "It was really clever."

Leo confirmed this with a nod.

"I gave myself up when I heard Anna tell Kristoff where she found _you_ hiding. More specifically: _how_ you were hiding and with _whom._"

Elsa, her eyes wide, looked at her sister. Anna gave her a sheepish, somewhat apologetic expression. Leo glanced at the bench.

"We'll pay to have that replaced, Queen Elsa."

Elsa blinked.

"Wait, what? Oh. Of course. You really don't have to, though. It isn't antique wood or anything."

"I insist," Leo said, still maintaining his more royal tone of voice. "It's one thing that I can actually fix. All of the other trouble my sister might cause you? I'm afraid it's out of my hands."

He flashed Elsa a friendly smile, and she understood that he was trying to be funny. She glanced over to Natalia.

"That's true. I can sense she's a bit of a trouble-maker."

"Me?" Natalia scoffed. "Never." A ball of fire sprung to life in her cupped palm. "Anna, do you want to see some fire juggling?"

"Would I?!" Anna lunged forward excitedly. "Let's do it right now! How many of those can you do at once? Do you think I could do it too? I mean, maybe I could start out with regular balls and then work my way up. I would wear gloves, of course. Does fire go through gloves?"

"Not here! Too many books that could catch fire. We'll do it in the ballroom."

Kristoff laughed.

"Because that is much safer."

Elsa was relieved to be out of the conversation and to have something other than her romantic affairs to distract Anna. In fact, Elsa and Natalia didn't have a spare moment to dwell on their personal development until later that night. Everyone had ended up back in the library to play a board game, as the rain finally began to give up past dark. Some light drops still tapped the windows as Kristoff and Anna headed up to bed together. Natalia sat to the right of Elsa on a small loveseat. Elsa had a book in her hands and was reading quietly. Leo was doing the same, but specifically positioned himself in a chair directly across from the pair. This way, he could keep an eye on his sister. Natalia was not amused.

"You know, Leo," Natalia said, "it's getting pretty late. You're probably tired after all of that freeze tag."

"I'm wide awake, actually."

Elsa looked up, some concern evident on her face.

"Is your shoulder alright? I thought it would be fun to take the name of the game literally, but I forgot that you aren't used to the cold either."

"Oh my shoulder is just fine. You didn't do any harm, Elsa." Leo gave her a reassuring look, so she went back to reading. Natalia frowned.

"Leo, I wouldn't mind if you gave me the cold shoulder right now."

"Why would I ever do that, dear sister? I'm enjoying being here with you, reading a good novel, and making sure you don't do anything that you might regret later." With a knowing smirk, the prince returned his eyes to the pages.

Natalia sighed and rolled her eyes at his protectiveness. What made him think she needed a chaperone? She was a grown woman. If she wanted to act on her impulsive desires to cuddle the Queen of Arendelle on a rainy summer night, she was going to do so! But she knew having Leo watching would make Elsa nervous. How could she get him to leave? It was then that she noticed the cover of his book. If he wouldn't leave for her, then she would have to get him out another way. With a sneaky grin she said,

"He's going to frame the man with treason."

Leo slowly looked up.

"What?"

"And another will lie to confirm the false accusations. So the man goes to jail."

Leo began to understand. She was trying to spoil the book for him to get him to leave. It was going to take a little more than that to ruin it for him.

"Natalia, you aren't really going to do this, are you?"

"And the mysterious figure is actually a-,"

"Okay! Fine." He gave in at last. It wasn't often that he found a mystery novel that he actually liked. And he supposed giving the girls just a little unsupervised time alone wouldn't be too horrible. Elsa had casually tried to explain that the earlier mishap was by complete accident. Elsa was trustworthy enough. "I am going up to bed. Good night to the both of you."

He glanced back several times over his shoulder before finally leaving the two to themselves.

Elsa turned another page. She was relieved to be free of Leo's eyes.

"So, I take it you like to read a lot?" she asked. Natalia replied in the affirmative.

"Ever since I was a little kid."

"I'm the same way. I still have a lot of my old fairy tale books in my room. I always…admired the princesses."

Natalia couldn't help but smile.

"So did I. Though, I always wanted to be a knight."

Elsa slowly closed her book.

"Really? That's interesting."

"It's a little silly," Natalia admitted. Elsa placed the book on a table and looked at the girl beside her, wanting more of an explanation. "Well, you see, knights always had to go up against fire breathing dragons. And I thought if I were a knight, dragons would be no problem for me. I could burn them right back."

"That's adorable." Elsa scooted a bit closer to the princess. "And very heroic of you."

Natalia ventured to put her arm around the beautiful woman beside her. Elsa welcomed the touch and leaned into her friend comfortably.

"Did you dream about rescuing a princess?"

"Sometimes," she confessed. "But only the very beautiful ones with bright blue eyes and perfect smiles."

"Oh any princess like that would be happy to be rescued by such an amazing knight. I always dreamt about being saved by a princess."

"Maybe there's hope for that yet."

"I don't know. Maybe a fire-breathing dragon would suit me better."

Elsa looked up. Natalia looked down. As soon as their eyes met, they let a couple of giggles escape their mouths and they felt themselves cuddle closer. As much as Elsa wanted to stay that way, she knew she was growing tired very fast. She started to doze off, which Natalia found very endearing. Always preferring to be proper, however, Elsa apologized and stood up not much later.

"We should get to bed before the sun rises."

"You're right," Natalia agreed, standing as well. She shared a brief hug with the queen before they both stood in front of one another.

"I want to…return a small favor." Elsa took Natalia's hand in her own. Bowing her head some, she planted a kiss on the warm, tan skin just beneath the wrist. Impulsively, Natalia reacted in the moment and placed her own favor against Elsa's cheek. Turning a light shade of crimson, Elsa bit her lip.

"Thank you."

"Thank you too, Elsa. You can return your favors any time. I'm just as happy to receive them as I am to give them."

She made the queen laugh once more.

"I will keep that in mind for the future."

They exchanged good nights. Natalia watched Elsa leave and felt satisfied. As Elsa headed to her room, a hundred thoughts swam through her mind. But none of them mattered as her hand touched the warm mark on the side of her face. She smiled because she knew one thing for certain: she was not alone.


End file.
